Manufacture of shoes



Jan. 28, 1947. K. A STRITTER MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed Dec. 14 1945 jrwen for Kar 155% Patented Jan. 28, 1947 MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Karl A. Stritter, Nahant, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application December 14, 1945, Serial No. 635,002

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes and is herein illustrated in its application to shoe bottom units comprising sole and heel assemblies constructed and arranged to be attached to shoe uppers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved shoe bottom unit having incorporated therein a shank stiffener which provides the required rigidity for the shank portion of said bottom unit and renders the heel end portion substantially rigid, thereby providing a suitable seat for a heel. It is a further object of the invention to incorporate these features in a shoe bottom unit including a platform sole.. i I

With the above objects in View the present invention in one aspect thereof consists in the provision of a shoe bottom unit comprising a platform sole having a forepart, a shank portion and a heel portion, the shank portion being grooved to receive a rigid shank stiffener of usual construction, a sole member consisting only of a shank portion and a heel portion attached to the platform sole, and a heel attached to said sole member, the forepart of the platform sole and the shank portion of said sole member providing attaching surfaces for a tread sole. In the illustrated construction the groove for the shank stiffener is formed in that surface of the platform sole facing said sole member and the sole member retains the shank stiffener in said groove. In some types of shoe construction such, for example, as Wedge heel constructions, it will probably be desirable to form the groove for the shank stiffener in the foot facing surface of the platform sole and it is within the scope of my invention to groove the foot facing surface where th shoe construction makes such an organization desirable. In the illustrated organization the heel is seated upon the shank and heel piece, the shank portion of said shank and heel piece and the forepart of the platform sole providing, respectively, attaching surfaces for a three-quarter length outsole.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which i Fig. 1 is a plan view looking at the bottom face of a platform sole;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a shoe bottom unit embodying the features of the present invention, certain parts being shown in section to illustrate important features of the construction; and i Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a shoe incorporating the tread sole of the shoe.

2 the bottom unit illustrated in Fig. 2, the shank portion of the shoe bottom being broken away and sectioned to illustrate the features of the shoe bottom unit.

Referring to Fig. 1, a platform sole H), which may be made ofcork composition or other suitable material, is provided with a groove l2 extending from the ball portion of the sole through the shank and into the heel seat portion, the center of said groove coinciding with the longitudinal median line of the rear portion of the sole. In the illustrated construction the groove i2 is in the bottom surface of the platform sole, or otherwise stated, in that surface which faces Referring to Fig. 2, a rigid shank stiffener M of usual construction is seated in the groove l2. A sole member lfi extending from the ball to the extremity of the heel portion of the shoe is attached to the grooved surface of the platform sole, preferably by cement, and serves to retain the shank stiffener M in the groove l2 and provides a heel seat for the attachment of a heel, such, for example, as the wood heel I8 illustrated in Fig. 2. The illustrated tread sole 20 is a three-quarter length sole member terminatin at the breast face of the heel and attached preferably by cement to the forepart of the platform sole [0 and to the shank portion of the shank and heel piece It. Referring to Fig. 3 the platform sole, together with the shank and heel piece, are preferably bound along their margins from the heel breast toewardly by a suitable binding element or Wrapper 22 and the heel [8 together with the heel portions of the platform sole and the shank and heel piece are bound by a suitable heel cover 24, the breast face of the heel being provided with a suitable cover 26.

In the manufacture of the illustrated shoe the platform sole l0, together with the shank stiffener I4, the shank and heel piece It, and the heel 18 are assembled to form a shoe bottom unit which is bound or covered, as above described, and thereafter is attached, preferably by cement, to the bottom of a lasted shoe. In the illustrated construction an upper 28 is lasted over an insole 30, the insole and the overlasted margin of the upper forming the attaching surface for said bottom unit. Either before or after the bottom unit is attached to the lasted shoe the tread sole 20 is attached preferably by cement to the completed shoe bottom unit, the forepart of the tread sole being attached to the platform sole and the rear or shank portion of the tread sole being attached to the forward or shank portion of the shank and heel piece.

While I prefer to attach the illustrated bottom unit to an upper which has been shaped over a last and attached to an insole, it is within the scope of my invention to assemble the bottom unit with upper parts which have not been so shaped. In this case the upper receives its shape in the operation of attaching it to' the bottom unit. It will be understood that the shaping thus effected may be augmented by forcing a last or other form into the upper after its attachment to the bottom unit.

It will also be understood that the illustrated bottom unit may be employed advantageously in the bottoming of many types of shoes, and particularly those types in which an outsole is attached to a midsole or first extension sole. This includes certain types of stitchdown and prewelt constructions.

Having thus decribed. my invention, what I claim a, new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. As a step product, a shoe bottom unit comprising a platform sole having a forepart, a shank portion, and a heel portion, the shank portion and the heel portion being grooved to receive a shank stiffener, a shank stiffener mounted in said groove, a sole member, consisting only of a shank portion and a heel portion, attached to the platform sole, and a, heel attached to said sole member, the forepart of the platform sole and the shank portion of said sole member providing attaching surfaces for a tread sole.

2. As a step product, a shoe bottom unit comprising a full length platform sole, a heel, a shank and heel piece positioned between the platform sole and the heel, and a shank stiffener positioned between the shank and heel piece and the platform sole and seated in a groove provided in the platform sole, the shank portion of the shank and heel piece and the forepart of the platform sole providing, respectively, attaching surfaces for a three-quarter length outsole.

3. As a step product, a shoe bottom unit comprising a full length platform sole, a heel, a shank and heel piece positioned between the platform sole and the heel, a shank stiffener positioned between the shank and heel piece and the platform sole and seated in a groove provided in the platform sole, and a three-quarter length outsole attached-directly to the forepart of the platform sole and the shank portion of the shank and heel piece.

4. As a step product, -'a shoe bottom unit comprising a full length platform sole, 9, heel, a shank and heel piece positioned between the platform sole and the heel, a shank stiffener positioned between the shank and heel piece and the platform sole and seated in a groove provided in the platform sole, a wrapper binding the margin of the shoe bottom 'unit from the heel breast toewardly, and a heel cover covering the heel and those portions of the edge faces of the shank and heel 'piece and the platform sole not covered by the wrapper, the shank portion of the shank and heel piece and the forepart of the platform sole providing, respectively, attaching surfaces for a three-quarter length outsole.

KARL A. STRITTER. 

